The friendly but rambunctious 10-month-old dog had chased a cat into a nearby back yard and had somehow managed to solidly wedge itself under huge boulders near its Riverhead Road home in Shelburne County.

Barrington firefighters received the call around noon from the panicked owner. They arrived on the scene to find the dog unhurt but hopelessly stuck.

“She was wedged in well,” said Barrington Station Chief Paul Thomas.

It took some time for firefighters to devise a plan, and before the rescue was over they would receive an assist from a mini-excavator borrowed from the Municipality of Barrington.

Slowly and carefully they worked to move boulders out of the way all the while listening to the whimpers of the trapped dog

“I think it was more scared than anything,” said Thomas.

Between the excavator, wedges, shovels and pry bars, the rescuers managed to open a hole large enough for a firefighter to physically pull the large dog by its shoulders out of its predicament.

The entire ordeal lasted about two hours.

After hours of fretting, owner Mary Ferguson was elated and hugged each of the firefighters for the safe return of her dog.

“I don’t think I missed any of them,” she said. “I can’t thank them enough … I can’t believe what they did for me.”

She said the rescuers were clearly dog lovers themselves.

Her dog, although dirty, tired and thirsty, went home seemingly unfazed by the ordeal. After a nap, the mastiff was back to her rambunctious self.

“There were a few drops of blood on her …I think that came from a firefighter though,” she said.

Thomas said the firefighters were happy to help.

“It’s not very often we get one of these types of calls,” he said. “It was a delicate operation …but I’m glad it worked out well.”